The prior art is replete with designs of ratcheting mechanisms which are incorporated in a variety of items. Perhaps the most popular item in which they are incorporated relates to the tool category, and in particular to a device known as a ratchet wrench. Ratchet wrenches are useful during such tasks as the turning nuts, bolts, screws and the like. Essentially, ratchet wrenches consist of a ratchet wheel integrated with a drive member, to which a handle integrated with a pivotal pawl member is combined. Ratchet wrenches are usually reversible, in order to change the direction to which torque may be applied. Reversibility may be achieved, dependent upon the particular tool design, by either flipping the tool over, or by causing the ratchet pawl to be reorientated such that the pawl applies torque to an opposite direction. Surprisingly, despite the multiplicity of designs, commonalities continue to exist regarding the unergonomic action required by the operator when it is desired to shift or change ratcheting directions. In describing this, I will first refer to those ratchets which utilize a control ring or reversing hub which must be rotated in order to cause the pawl to pivot or shift, thereby reversing the ratcheting direction. All such known designs require the operator to rotate the control ring, when shifting the pawl, to a direction opposite the direction desired to rotate the drive. This operational characteristic is therefore unnatural and requires a learned action by the operator. This confusion is often compounded when ratchet tools also incorporate a drive ring which may be rotated in the same direction as the drive, in order to enable the operator to rapidly spin the drive by fingers when minimal torque is required. In referring to alternate ratchet designs which utilize a lever to shift the pawl, operational confusion also exists because association between rotation direction of the drive, and directional actuation of the pawl shift lever is not intuitive. Note that many popular ratchets utilizing a lever to shift the pawl permanently label the on and off position.
The present invention departs from the previous art in both obviousness of function as well as ergonomic form. A control ring will be used to shift the pawl position, but the direction to which it must be rotated during shifting is advantageously the same direction as desired for the drive to be rotated while applying torque. Furthermore, with the present invention, if the torque required to cause rotation of the drive is minimal, the control ring may simply be continually rotated, after the pawl has shifted, to rapidly spin the drive, and thereby spin the coupled nut or bolt. The mechanism will automatically allow a transitional function of the control ring between pawl shifting and nut spinning, in either direction, at any time. Additionally, a very significant advantage of the present invention is that the ratchet may be reversed with one finger without the aid of a second hand.